Italy will be obliged to use nuclear power: Eni's CEO Mincato

Trieste (Platts)--6Apr2005

Italy will almost certainly be obliged to turn to nuclear sources to meet its
power needs, according to oil and gas company Eni's CEO Vittorio Mincato.
"Considering the energy situation in Italy, the choice of nuclear power is
almost obligatory," Mincato was quoted as saying in Wednesday's edition of
daily news paper "La Repubblica." 

Italy ruled against nuclear power in a referendum in 1987, in what was seen
largely as a public backlash against the 1986 accident at the Chernobyl
nuclear plant in Ukraine. "You can't stop flying just because one airplane
crashes. Chernobyl should not be the benchmark," said Mincato. The nuclear
debate was reopened in January when Italy's prime minister Silvio Berlusconi
hinted that the country would begin to re-examine the nuclear option. Italy's
largest power company Enel has started to approach nuclear projects in both
France and Slovakia, with the backing of the government. However, Mincato was
adamant that Eni would not be involved "Our focus is on petroleum and gas," he
told the paper.

This story was originally published in Platts European Power Alert
http://www.europeanpoweralert.platts.com

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